What audio system do you have, or plan on getting?

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Do you guys think that everyone hears the same thing from the same system in the same room with the same source?

I think that there are several factors involved here:  1)  Everyone's hearing is different due to factors like hearing loss over the years, possible medical issues (like tinnitus) and I think also 2) How well one is able to concentrate and focus on what one is hearing.  I suspect also that the more one listens to different systems and components that one can get better at noticing things like how well certain systems/components can deliver the highs and the lows for instance.

When I auditioned different pieces of equipment and setups some years back, I enjoyed listening to different recordings and seeing what I liked; however, it took me a while to get out of that mindset and just go back to enjoying the music--and the recordings that I brought to the shops!    Some people, alas, only seem to be focused on either seeing the flaws in their setup(s) and/or wanting to get the latest piece of 'kit' or forever tweaking things rather than just enjoying the music--which is what all of that 'stuff' is for.  That's my opinion anyway. 

[DavidW]

Hi David,

I've looked into various ones over the years for my living room but kept running into problems like:  length of the wall where I want it vs. length of racks; hard to put speakers around the components and the t.v. due to doors; would love to be able to watch movies using better speakers but hard to be able to center them around the t.v. in terms of watching movies where seating is; in terms of listening to music, the speakers are either side of a fireplace which works (listening from my couch) but t.v. is to the left of the speakers.  Upstairs, the room is rather small:  I'm trying to figure out places to store things like LPs and CDs in the room which has my old stereo and/or building new shelving.  So, certainly not optimal but I'm trying my best to make it work.  Perhaps, someday, I can figure out a way to get a hi-fi rack upstairs--one which has enough weight/stability, not to let my components 'bounce'? 

Yeah I get that problem.  I want a dedicated listening room but I have only one decently sized room which is my living room.  I use a soundbar for my home theater, and I prefer that to discrete speakers.  So this is what I did.  I set up my stereo perpendicular to the home entertainment system.  I have a recliner that faces the tv and a sofa that faces the stereo.  What I do is move the recliner back and pull the sofa away from the wall when I'm going to listen to music.  It is like I have envisioned two different rooms occupying the same space if that makes sense.

[DavidW]

Do you guys think that everyone hears the same thing from the same system in the same room with the same source?

No because we have all different hearing.  Also the sound changes when I have a drink!

[DavidW]

Let me be the only one then that believes what my ears tell me.

Herman and PD agreed with you so I don't think you're alone.  Claiming cables matter is a very popular opinion among subjectivitist audiophiles anyway.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Yeah I get that problem.  I want a dedicated listening room but I have only one decently sized room which is my living room.  I use a soundbar for my home theater, and I prefer that to discrete speakers.  So this is what I did.  I set up my stereo perpendicular to the home entertainment system.  I have a recliner that faces the tv and a sofa that faces the stereo.  What I do is move the recliner back and pull the sofa away from the wall when I'm going to listen to music.  It is like I have envisioned two different rooms occupying the same space if that makes sense.

May I ask roughly what is the size of your living room and what kind of shape?  And do you have many doorways to deal with and/or a fireplace?

[The new erato]

Well, it's the brain that tell you what the ears detect. And the brain is an extremely subjective organ. I don't believe for a second that any absolutte senses exist, not in smell, taste, reaction to pain (why can people be hypnotized to not feel pain?) or anything. It's all prosessed by the brain.

Of course there are differences in sound - or in wine for that matter - and the basis can be understood pretty well as in acid in wine or freqency respons in sound, but for the finer nuances there are always a not particularly reliable, subjective element.

[Todd]

Wine-tasting: it's junk science

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Well, it's the brain that tell you what the ears detect. And the brain is an extremely subjective organ. I don't believe for a second that any absolutte senses exist, not in smell, taste, reaction to pain (why can people be hypnotized to not feel pain?) or anything. It's all prosessed by the brain.

Of course there are differences in sound - or in wine for that matter - and the basis can be understood pretty well as in acid in wine or freqency respons in sound, but for the finer nuances there are always a not particularly reliable, subjective element.

True about the brain processing things too. Good point! 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I don't know whether or not there is a thread for this, but I was reminded yet again, how wonderfully helpful this little light is.  It's inexpensive, very flexible, comes with a pretty long cord, so is quite mobile.  I have two of them:  one is attached to the top of my tv/stereo cabinet (helpful when putting a LP on and seeing controls....also when needing to either attach or disconnect components' cables); the other one is in the room in which I have most of my CDs and LPs stored.  The cord is long enough that I can move it between most of my cases.  You just unclamp it and reattach it where needed.   

It's made by Ikea and currently going for about $15....and comes in a variety of colors to boot!  And it doesn't use much electricity either. 

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/naevlinge-led-clamp-spotlight-dark-red-80467259/

PD

[DavidW]

May I ask roughly what is the size of your living room and what kind of shape?  And do you have many doorways to deal with and/or a fireplace?

Oh it is about 13 feet by 12 feet.  You would think oh no it's too square except one side then opens up to the kitchen which adds about the same length again.  So I end up not having a problem with acoustics.  There is a door in the corner, and a staircase.  No fireplace.  You might think I should hurry up and buy a house then and get a larger room... but I've never met anyone with a large living room.  It just doesn't seem to be a thing where I live.

[DavidW]

It's made by Ikea and currently going for about $15....and comes in a variety of colors to boot!  And it doesn't use much electricity either. 

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/naevlinge-led-clamp-spotlight-dark-red-80467259/

PD

I have a little led lamp too.  I put it behind my tv and aim it at the wall.  I use it for bias lighting.  It helps alleviate eye strain when watching in the dark.  At $10 it is WAY cheaper than buying those bias lighting strip light kits.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I have a little led lamp too.  I put it behind my tv and aim it at the wall.  I use it for bias lighting.  It helps alleviate eye strain when watching in the dark.  At $10 it is WAY cheaper than buying those bias lighting strip light kits.

Clever thinking!

[Florestan]

No because we have all different hearing.  Also the sound changes when I have a drink!

+1.

[Iota]

Also the sound changes when I have a drink!

As it does when you touch your toes wearing headphones.

Seeing as you didn't ask.

[DavidW]

I bought something that turned out to be a real game changer.  It felt a little silly because I could just use my computer... but I noticed that sometimes I could hear the spinning fan.  So I bought a network audio player and it's just awesome!  I can control it with my Ipad without getting up from the couch.  I can seamlessly play my digital downloads from an attached usb, switch to Qobuz, switch to Primephonic through builtin Chromecast and it all sounds great.  I can have the cover art and track progress on the Ipad or on the screen of the player.  After I start playing music I prefer the screen on the device and it doesn't feel that different from using a cd player.

Does anyone else use a network player?

[petrarch]

Does anyone else use a network player?

Yes, a Squeezebox. Still working, since 2007...

[Daverz]

I bought something that turned out to be a real game changer.  It felt a little silly because I could just use my computer... but I noticed that sometimes I could hear the spinning fan.  So I bought a network audio player and it's just awesome!  I can control it with my Ipad without getting up from the couch.  I can seamlessly play my digital downloads from an attached usb, switch to Qobuz, switch to Primephonic through builtin Chromecast and it all sounds great.  I can have the cover art and track progress on the Ipad or on the screen of the player.  After I start playing music I prefer the screen on the device and it doesn't feel that different from using a cd player.

Does anyone else use a network player?

Also a Squeezebox user, though I have actually been using Raspberry Pis as squeezebox replacements for a while.  I still use a Squeezebox Touch in my headphone system, though.  Music is served from a linux box in my loft.

[71 dB]

I have a little led lamp too.  I put it behind my tv and aim it at the wall.  I use it for bias lighting.  It helps alleviate eye strain when watching in the dark.  At $10 it is WAY cheaper than buying those bias lighting strip light kits.

I have also had a little cheapo led lamp (3 W I think) behind my tv shooting light up ceiling for years. Initially people used this kind of lamps to "improve" the black levels of early flat tv sets (black screen was actually dark gray and looked darker to eyes in a dark room when there was dim light behind the tv set). The black levels and contrast of my tv is good enough, but in dark tv "modulates" the lightness in the room which is pretty annoying. The lamp behind the tv regulates the lightness to a more constant level and as you put it also alleviates eye strain when watching in the dark.

[Herman]

Herman and PD agreed with you so I don't think you're alone.  Claiming cables matter is a very popular opinion among subjectivitist audiophiles anyway.

I also emphasized that there is a limit to this cable - money issue, diminishing returns.

What I said was that audiophile cables and interconnects are better than cheapo Radioshack cables. But I doubt there is a big difference between audiophile cables, also because at a certian point you're going to lose frequencies due to your ears' age.

It also helps to keep in mind that you will (most likely) never enjoy music as much as when you were very young and heard crappy performances of great music for the first time, on, often, pretty mediocre gear.

Like fabulous sex, most of it is in your own receptiveness  -  and I'll not extend the analogy into the gear thing...

[DavidW]

I also emphasized that there is a limit to this cable - money issue, diminishing returns.

What I said was that audiophile cables and interconnects are better than cheapo Radioshack cables. But I doubt there is a big difference between audiophile cables, also because at a certian point you're going to lose frequencies due to your ears' age.

Well that all sounds reasonable.

It also helps to keep in mind that you will (most likely) never enjoy music as much as when you were very young and heard crappy performances of great music for the first time, on, often, pretty mediocre gear.

Like fabulous sex, most of it is in your own receptiveness  -  and I'll not extend the analogy into the gear thing...

Yes there was nothing quite as magical as when I first got into classical music through audio cassettes on crap hardware!  And since I couldn't stream entire catalogues I really lived with those tapes and knew every note of those recordings.